Couple holding hands drinking coffee

How to Help a Meth Addict

Meth

Meth addiction often leads to disturbing symptoms that can make families feel helpless and put meth addicts at serious risk for health and legal problems. Families often describe noticeable physical changes in their meth addicted loved one as a cause for great concern. They also report that their loved one is doing “crazy things they…

Meth rock pile

How Methamphetamine Use Affects Your Looks

Meth

Of all the drugs that alter a person’s looks, methamphetamine (meth) causes the most overt visible signs of abuse. Meth abuse wreaks havoc on the entire body, destroying tissues and blood vessels and inhibiting the body’s ability to repair itself. The effects of meth include a decrease in appetite, resulting in muscle degradation, unhealthy loss…

Meth rock pile

What Are the Effects of Meth on the Brain?

Meth

Methamphetamine is a powerful stimulant drug known for its ability to trigger serious addiction. People who use meth undergo a series of short- and long-term changes in their normal brain activity. These changes can alter the behavior of meth users, as well as certain aspects of their basic body function. Fortunately, ongoing abstinence from the…

Girl ostracized by her friends

Reducing the Risk of Meth Use in the Gay Community

Meth

Methamphetamine use among gay men may have decreased somewhat since its height in the 1990s, but it is still a major problem among this subset of the LGBTQ community. Treating and reducing use of this dangerous illegal drug remains a priority for a group of people disproportionately affected by drug abuse and addiction. Crystal meth…

Mom talking with teen girl about depression

The Effects of Methamphetamine on Women’s Health

Meth

Methamphetamine, or meth for short, causes a lot of negative health effects both in the short term and with long-term use in both men and women. For women, though, there are particular health effects that make meth especially harmful. Meth is one of the most addictive substances of abuse, and there is no such thing…

two women walking on path outside discussing rehab admissions process

How Does Meth Affect Women?

Meth

Methamphetamine is a serious and dangerous drug. More commonly called meth, it is one of the top 10 most addictive drugs and causes long-lasting physical and mental health side effects. Meth use among women has been rising, and the consequences are serious. Young women, pregnant women and even middle-aged women are using this harmful drug.…

Women taking amphetamine pill

What Are the Best Treatments for Amphetamine Overdoses?

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A team of American researchers has identified several treatments that can help people recover from various symptoms of an amphetamine overdose or an overdose triggered by an amphetamine-related substance. Amphetamines are powerful stimulants that can produce a range of serious, severe or life-threatening symptoms related to the onset of an overdose. In a study review…

MRI of meth damage to the brain

How Does Meth Damage the Brain?

Meth

Methamphetamine is one of several drugs of abuse classified as central nervous system stimulants. However, the drug produces more powerful effects than other stimulants and its repeated use can easily trigger the brain changes that foster drug dependence and drug addiction. In a study published in May 2014 in the journal Addiction Biology, a team…